


Perfect Harmony

by Breemarie12256



Category: Carmen Sandiego (Cartoon 2019)
Genre: F/M, finally after 100000000 years I wrote these two again!, its loving red crackle hours y’all ✨, red crackle
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-10
Updated: 2020-12-10
Packaged: 2021-03-10 00:41:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,623
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27985578
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Breemarie12256/pseuds/Breemarie12256
Summary: The story of Carmen and Gray
Relationships: Gray | Crackle/Carmen Sandiego | Black Sheep
Comments: 4
Kudos: 76





	Perfect Harmony

**Author's Note:**

> Author’s Note: 
> 
> Hello everyone! 
> 
> I am FINALLY back after so long, and DAMN I’m so sorry I haven’t been that active! School’s been a bitch lmao. 
> 
> Anyway, I decided to feed y’all some Red Crackle, because my multishipper ass couldn’t stop thinking about these two after me and my friends were talking about it! 
> 
> Hope y’all enjoy it!

Paris, **France**

"We miss you, Black Sheep. VILE wants a truce." Crackle said, looking at Carmen with a fake-sincere expression. Surely this'll be enough to convince her..right?

Carmen glared at him. "They want me stealing for them, instead of from them." She pointed out.

"...The Faculty's offering you a full pardon. Ever Shadowsan's on board! We'll make things right, if you just come home..where you belong." Crackle said, hoping that this time around Carmen would agree to come back.

Carmen took a deep breath. "...I was hoping we would end up on the same side tonight, Gray."

Gray smirked, but behind that smirk hid opposite thoughts of what it looked like he was thinking. He wasn't dumb. He knew Carmen would never ever rejoin VILE after all she's done to stop it.

"...My side." Carmen finished, expecting Gray to react in a..violent way. But surprisingly, what she expected never came.

Gray, instead of attacking her, just laughed. He laughed, and he didn't attack her. Which made Carmen slightly begin to worry for him.

Why wasn't he attacking her?? Didn't VILE order to kill her if she didn't agree to their terms? Didn't Gray never have any mercy? Why was this happening?

As she had those thoughts, Carmen noticed that Gray had stopped laughing. And fixated her attention back onto him.

"Why..aren't you attacking me?" Carmen asked slowly, leaning back against her seat.

"..What? You thought that I was here to actually kill you? C'mon, you know me better than that, Lambkins-"

"Carmen." Carmen corrected.

"-Carmen. Anyway, I just said that because Dr. Bellum was checking in on how the mission was going. I didn't mean a word I said, I swear!" Gray said, putting his Crackle Rod down as a sign of his loyalty to her.

Carmen raised an eyebrow at him. "If your Crackle Rod has EMP and blocks all electric signals, then how can the Faculty still contact you?" She asked, spotting the hole in what he had said.

Gray was taken aback for a moment, but then recoiled. Giving Carmen a huge grin. "Let's just say I convinced Dr. Bellum to make it possible for VILE phones to work through EMP."

Carmen looked at him, surprised. Okay, now that was impressive. Dr. Bellum usually took longer for people to convince her to do something like..THAT. She must've trusted Crack- Gray a big deal.

But that doesn't mean she shouldn't still keep her guard up.

"Okay then...but that still doesn't quite explain why you didn't attack me. Or even kill me." Carmen said, crossing her arms over her chest.

Gray took a deep breath. This was it.

"I..want to join you."

Carmen was taken aback by what Gray had just said. He went through all of that trouble to find her..just to say he wanted to join her and the others?

Actually, that explains everything.

He barely attacked her when he entered her first class area on the train, he just sat there when she relived her past, and now he stands there saying he wants to join her. And didn't even turn on his Crackle Rod again besides that one time when he threatened to turn it on if she didn't tell him more.

Carmen shook herself out of her trance, looking at Gray with a very serious expression. "...I still don't really trust you."

Gray sadly chuckled. "Yeah, that's understandable.."

Carmen sighed. "You can tag along, but you'll take a while to earn back my trust in order to join my team."

Gray managed to smile at Carmen. He had really missed having her in his life. Every day she was gone, away from the Isle of VILE, Gray couldn't help but always think about her. He always worried if she was okay or if she was out there laying on the cold hard ground dead. But when La Chevre and El Topo came back from Boston, saying that after three years she showed up again, Gray was relieved.

But that relief was short lived, and anger took its place.

Apparently during her three-year disappearance from VILE's radar, Black Sheep had changed her name to Carmen Sandiego and had started to work against VILE instead of with them. And Gray had absolutely no idea why in her right mind would she betray them after everything they did for her.

But tonight, after hearing her side of everything that happened, Gray now understood. She was never a bad person like how everyone at VILE had expected her to be, since she was raised by criminals who had no sense of morality.

But throughout her time at VILE Academy, Gray and the others had wondered why someone so sweet like her would end up at VILE besides getting into the academy practically for free. They knew she was someone who was very good at thievery, no doubt, but..why become a VILE operative? Did she know that her job as one wouldn't be what she had wanted it to be?

Turns out she didn't know, since she had just seen stealing as a game, nothing else.

But over the years, she had changed from a naive teenager who thought she was doing good to a woman who realized what she originally thought was a lie and decided to step up and make sure that no one else has to think that only to get hurt in the end.

"Thanks..Carmen."

Carmen hesitantly stepped forward, hugging Gray as tightly as she did back at the academy if she ever had a nightmare. "Anytime..Gray."

* * *

Over the long course of time Carmen and Gray, along with the rest of the team, had been together, Carmen started to trust Gray more.

His first step was to face Zack and Ivy, and convince them that he doesn't expect them to trust him after having just come from VILE. And Zack and Ivy were surprised to say the least, but they accepted him anyway, trusting Carmen's judgement. But that doesn't mean they weren't wary of him.

His second step was helping out from the outside of the field. Like paying off hotel rooms with Player's assistance or dragging a drunk Ivy back to their hotel room after they had finished their caper in Australia (Carmen gave Ivy an earful after that).

His third step was saving Carmen when she had her bones crushed by Coach Brunt in Poitiers. He literally carried her in his arms all the way back to where the team was staying. He helped her get to everywhere she wanted to go, he helped Ivy (who knew little to no first aid) patch up her wounds good enough for her to heal over a very long four weeks.

And his fourth and final step was just to be there for her during those four weeks of healing. Carmen may have healed from her physical scars, but her mental scars were definitely not gone. And Gray was always there to support her. And Carmen had thanked him by finally letting him join the newly named Team Red.

And Gray was more than happy to officially be by Carmen's side after all they've been through together.

Over the times when Gray was there for her, Carmen had started to see him as more than a big brother she never had. He was always there for her when the others weren't, he was so kind and gentle, he comforted her after she woke up from every single nightmare, he held her when she finally broke down and cried and sobbed about everything that happened to her, he even one time dropped everything and took her to a goddamn amusement park just to cheer her up!

The others may not have been able to see the flaws she had hidden from them, but Gray did. And he was there for her, and he didn't mind her not being flawless. And that's what made Carmen fall for him more.

He was the only one who truly understood her. Not her motives as a thief, but her as a person. He knew what she was like, and what her imperfections were. And while a lot of people would always think of Carmen Sandiego as a perfect young woman who doesn't do anything wrong, Gray doesn't see her in that way. He sees her as Carmen Sandiego, the person.

And Carmen couldn't appreciate him more for everything he's done for her and the others.

* * *

It wasn't until a few more months later, with their mission in Dubai, that Gray had finally realized that his feelings towards Carmen weren't of a proud big brother anymore.

After the team had safely gotten the supercar back to Al Sibaq, Gray and Carmen had a long talk about everything. That she had scared him multiple times over the past six months and today had added onto his list of times she had scared him to death.

And Carmen responded by saying it comes with her job of stopping VILE from doing harm, and Gray had finally had enough.

He told her that if she kept getting herself hurt because of her drive to stop VILE, then she can consider herself out of the game. And Carmen was furious. She got very pissed off at him for saying that when she was literally the team's leader and also an adult who gets to make her own decisions.

And while she technically had a point, that didn't stop Gray from arguing with her up to the point when Carmen finally asked the million dollar question.

* * *

"Why do you suddenly want to take me out of this after everything I did? Sure, I've had some close calls, but I STILL succeeded! We still succeeded!"

"BECAUSE I LOVE YOU!"

Carmen froze at that. Not really knowing what to say..as Gray had continued to speak.

"I love you, Carmen! I fell for you every time you were with me ever since we walked off that damn train together! I just..I just didn't realize it until..recently." Gray said, looking down at the ground. Not wanting to meet Carmen's gaze.

Carmen's expression softened. But she was still shocked. Gray..loved her? Like, loved-loved her? In a romantic way?

Carmen, of course, returned his feelings. But she honestly didn't expect him to love her back. She just sort of thought this whole crush thing was one-sided.

'Well, if we both figured our feelings out as it seems, I guess we should seal the deal.' Carmen thought, before slowly walking to Gray. Lifting his chin up to face her.

"I love you too." She confessed.

Gray stared at her, flabbergasted. "W-What do you mean you-"

"I LOVE YOU TOO GRAY!" Carmen shouted out for everyone in the hotel to hear (which they didn't, thank god).

"Yeah, that's right! You heard me! I LOVE YOU! I loved you for the same amount of time you loved me! Every single day ever since I found out my feelings for you, it hurt to keep it inside but..I still loved you. No matter what happened between us or the team, I still loved you. You..you are the only person who sees who I truly am outside of being a thief. You are the only person who really understands me."

Carmen then felt tears welling up in her eyes as she sniffled and gathered up more words to speak. "I love you too." She said through her heart-wrenching sobs.

Gray didn't say anything, he just pulled Carmen to his chest and held her there while she cried her feelings out.

After finally being able to compose herself, Carmen looked up at Gray into his soft brown eyes. She sadly smiled. "Thanks and..I'm sorry you had to see me like that."

Gray returned the smile, running his fingers through her long brown locks. "It's fine. And in case you forgot-it isn't the first time I've seen you cry."

Carmen laughed, despite having just had a bad cry. "You're right.. it isn't."

They both sat in silence, not really knowing what else to say. One of them was debating on if she should bring up the topic of their feelings for each other, and the latter was thinking of a way to approach Carmen being aware of his feelings for her.

After many minutes of being silent, Gray finally spoke up.

"We're both in love with each other huh? Hehe..never saw it coming. At least from your point of view." Gray said, awkwardly scratching the back of his head.

Carmen snorted. "Yeah..we were both so obvious and we didn't notice each other."

"But..now we do."

Carmen nodded slowly. "Now we do."

Gray then suddenly found himself leaning closer towards Carmen, and the woman did the same. Her cherry lips slightly puckering up as she and Gray drew closer to each other.

They had never seemed to feel perfect harmony...until his lips touched hers.

* * *

Carmen and Gray's conversation had ended with that amazing first kiss. And the two felt heavy weights on their chests finally being lifted after so long.

When they had broken the news to Zack and Ivy, the siblings were nothing but supportive. Saying that they had noticed Carmen and Gray pining for each other for a while and it was really painful to watch because they just wanted them to get together already.

Player was smug about the whole thing, since he frequently listens into every one of Carmen's conversations through her earrings. And he knew by the way Carmen and Gray had always communicated that there was some unresolved tension in the air, but he never commented on it.

Shadowsan was nothing just his usual grumpy self, but he had been fine with them dating. But whenever Carmen and Gray weren't there, he would always take pictures of them to add to his secret photo album called "Carmen's First Date".

After several months of dating, Gray had finally proposed to Carmen under the Eiffel Tower after yet another successful caper. And boy did she cry when she had said yes, as he picked her up and twirled her in the air. Getting smiles from the onlookers.

They may not have been able to get married at the moment due to VILE still lurking around, but they knew that one day...they would live a happy and crime-free life.

* * *

The time of VILE has finally reached its end, and Carmen and Gray couldn't be happier.

Them and the rest of Team Red had rejoiced in their victory, and had all gone their separate ways after so long of being together. They still had the HQ, but they just used it for going on vacations together when they felt like they just needed to see each other.

Gray and Carmen now lived in San Francisco, and they had a little girl - Elena. Elena Sandiego. And she was a ball of sunshine with Gray's soft brown eyes and Carmen's cinnamon skin and her brown-auburn hair.

Zack and Ivy had gone back to Boston and started a new life on Sterling's racing team as professional racers.

Player had moved to San Diego once he turned 18 and has been living a new life and doing freelance jobs for Interpol and ACME so that he had something to do.

And Shadowsan had moved back with his brother in Japan and they had a fresh start. A chance at a new life free of crime, of VILE, of all the running away he had done, everything.

All of Team Red, even if they weren't exactly a "team" anymore, were in more of a happy place than ever before.

They were in **perfect harmony.**

**Author's Note:**

> *sniff* these two have taken over my soul 😭 
> 
> I decided to switch things up and do Timeskips a lot to show how Carmen and Gray’s romantic relationship evolved over time because, well, I’m pretty sure I can’t fit an entire love story into a one shot 😂
> 
> Please leave your thoughts in the comments, and constructive criticism is always appreciated here! ^^


End file.
